Monorail system for movement of vehicles

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a monorail system having a monorail rail car having a suspended load platform which can be raised and lowered from the rail car. The load platform is adapted to load a vehicle thereon with or without passengers and then be raised and towed to a destination location. The loaded platform can then be lowered and unloaded when it reaches its destination.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a monorail system having suspended rail cars, each for moving a single vehicle thereon, with or without passengers, to a destination location.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A monorail is a railway system in which the track consists of a single rail, typically elevated and with the trains suspended from it. Monorail systems typically are rapid transit systems for transferring people around a specific area, commonly around a metropolitan area and also includes high speed rail systems between metropolitan areas. The rail cars are commonly suspended from the rail and run between stations but may be mounted on or over the rail.

In recent years, interest in monorails as a solution to mass transportation problems has grown. There is interest in augmenting the national highway system in crowded urban areas and in the integration of new technologies into current national transportation systems. Monorails have many benefits including having a small footprint which requires a fraction of the ground area of a roadbed. This is especially important when purchasing land for a transportation system through crowded metro regions or through wilderness areas.

Generally, monorail systems use a wheeled assembly supporting a rail car either straddled on top of a central rail beam or suspended from the central rail beam. The rail cars ride on wheels and carry a payload of passengers and freight. The present invention relates to a monorail system which suspends load carrying pods which can be raised or lowered to the ground beneath the rail.

Typical suspended monorail systems can be seen in the Wallick U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,712 for a monorail train suspended from a guideway and in the N. Esquillan U.S. Pat. No. 3,236,192 for an overhead railway superstructure and in the L. L. Davis U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,498 for an elevated transportation system having an improved supporting structure. Also in the A. G. Bierbach U.S. Pat. No. 359, 662 and in the Ostholt et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,891 for a suspension monorail with a climbing trolley and in the L. Chadenson U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,588. Trolley track hangers for supporting suspended monorail cars can be seen in the E. Fechner and G. Van Deventer U.S. Pat. No. 1,396,564 for a trolley track hanger and in the W. H. Brodie U.S. Pat. No. 509,650 for a trolley track and in the Austin U.S. Pat. No. 8,100,058 for a monorail sortation system and in the H. J. L. Frank et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,096,579 for an electrical distribution trolley duct and in the Morsbach U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,060 for a monorail system and in the Eberle U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,803 for an article transport assembly and in the Knuettel U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,249 for an electric overhead trolley system with auxiliary rail and driven auxiliary wheel for traction.

The present invention relates to a monorail system having a monorail rail car having a suspended load platform which can be raised and lowered from the rail car. The load platform is adapted to load a vehicle thereon with or without passengers and then raised and towed to a destination location. The loaded platform can then be lowered and unloaded when it reaches its destination.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a monorail system for movement of vehicles on an elongated overhead rail having an electric power line passing therealong. A motorized wheeled rail car has a plurality of wheels movably supported in tracks on the overhead rail. A wheel electric motor is mounted in the rail car and is operatively coupled to the electric power lines and to at least one of the plurality of wheels to drive the motorized wheeled rail car on the rail. A lifting electric motor is mounted in the motorized wheeled rail car and coupled to a lifting drum or reel for supporting the lifting cables. A vehicle supporting platform is attached to the lifting cables for raising and lowering the vehicle supporting platform responsive to operation of the lifting electric motor. The vehicle supporting platform has ramps for moving a vehicle onto and off the platform. The monorail system motorized rail car lifts and transports a vehicle on a monorail and then lowers the platform and vehicle at a destination.

The process includes the steps of selecting the apparatus and lowering the platform with the lifting electric motor onto a generally flat surface and driving a motorized vehicle onto the lowered platform. The platform is then raised with the motorized vehicle using the lifting electric motor. The motorized wheeled rail car is then moved to transport the vehicle loaded onto the monorail system rail to its destination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a monorail system having a vehicle loaded for transport in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the monorail system of FIG. 1 having a vehicle loaded thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2, a monorail system has a monorail rail car 10 riding on a rail 11. The rail car 10 has a suspended load platform 12 which can be raised and lowered from the rail car 10. The load platform 12 is adapted to load a vehicle 13 thereon with or without passengers and then raise and tow the vehicle 13 on the monorail system rail 11 to a destination location. The loaded platform 12 can then be lowered and unloaded when it reaches its destination.

The rail car 10 has a plurality of wheels 14 which ride in the rail tracks 15 to allow the rail car to move on the rail 11. A drum or reel 16 is rotatably mounted in the rail car 10 and has a pair of cables 17 which are wound and unwound on the reel 16 to raise or lower the cables 17. The reel 16 is driven by a reversible electric motor 18 powered from the electric cables 32 as seen in FIG. 3. The cables 17 pass through openings 20 in the rail car and are connected to front and rear frame members 21 of the load platform 12, which frame members are connected to the platform floor 22 which supports a vehicle 13. A pair of side frame members 23 are fixedly attached to each side of the floor 22 to prevent a vehicle from sliding sideways of the platform. The platform floor 22 has a front ramp 24 and a rear ramp 25 for driving a vehicle 13 onto and off of the platform 12 floor 22. When the platform 12 is lowered onto a surface 26, a vehicle 13 can be driven thereonto over the front ramp 24. Chock blocks 27 can then be placed under the wheels to hold the vehicle in place or locking bars can be raised and lowered to hold the vehicle in place.

Once the platform 12 is loaded with the vehicle 13, it is raised by the cables 17 being coiled onto the reel 16 which reel is rotated by the electric motor 18. Once raised the rail car 16 is moved on the rail 14 by the wheel electric motor 30 connected to the wheels with a shaft 31 as seen in FIG. 3. The electric motor 30 receives its power from the electric cables 32 running along the rail 11. When the rail car 10 arrives at the desired location, it stops and the platform 12 is lowered with the cables 17 being unrolled from the reel 16. The vehicle can then be unblocked and driven off the platform 12 floor 22 over the exit ramp 25.

Each rail car 10 acts as a carriage pod which can support one vehicle with passengers or another load which, once loaded, can be delivered to any point along the rail 11. Each load is carried by an individual rail car pod which does not require waiting for the next train since a plurality of pods can be continually moving along the rail or can be kept on side tracks ready to be called up as needed.

A method of using the present invention may include the following steps. Selecting an apparatus as set forth above and lowering the platform 12 with the lifting electric motor 18 turning the reel 16 to drop the cables 17 to drop the platform onto a generally flat surface 26. Driving a motorized vehicle 13 onto the lowered platform 12 over the ramp 24 onto the floor 22. The wheels can then be blocked with chock blocks 27 and the platform 12 raised with the motorized vehicle using the lifting electric motor 18 to rotate the reel 16 to lift the cables 17 and platform 12. The motorized wheeled rail car 10 is then moved on the rail 11 with the wheels 14 riding in the tracks 15 to transport the loaded vehicle on the monorail system rail to a desired location where the platform 12 is lowered and the vehicle wheels unblocked and driven off the platform 12 over the exit ramp 25. The electric motors can be remotely controlled to actuate the lifting electric motor 18 to raise or lower the platform 12 and to actuate the wheel electric motor 30 and a computer control system can control the destination for the loaded rail car 10.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 

1. A monorail system for movement of vehicles comprising: an elongated overhead rail having an electric power line passing therealong; a motorized wheeled rail car having a plurality of wheels movably supported on some overhead rail, said motorized wheeled rail car having a wheel electric motor coupled to said electric power line and to at least one of said plurality of wheels to drive said motorized wheeled rail car on said rail; a lifting electric motor mounted in said motorized wheeled rail car and coupled to a lifting reel supporting at least one lifting cable; and a vehicle supporting platform attached to said at least one lifting cable for raising and lowering said vehicle supporting platform responsive to operation of said lifting electric motor, said vehicle supporting platform having a ramp for moving a vehicle onto said platform; whereby a monorail system motorized rail car can lift and transport a vehicle thereon.
 2. The monorail system for movement of vehicles in accordance with claim 1 in which said lifting reel supports two lifting cables.
 3. The monorail system for movement of vehicles in accordance with claim 2 in which said vehicle supporting platform has two ramps for moving a vehicle onto and off of said platform.
 4. The monorail system for movement of vehicles in accordance with claim 3 in which said vehicle supporting platform has a plurality of sides for holding a vehicle on said platform.
 5. The monorail system for movement of vehicles in accordance with claim 4 in which said vehicle supporting platform has vehicle blocking means for holding a loaded vehicle on said platform.
 6. The monorail system for movement of vehicles in accordance with claim 5 in which said vehicle supporting platform has a plurality of chock blocks for holding a loaded vehicle on said platform.
 7. The monorail system for movement of vehicles in accordance with claim 4 in which said vehicle supporting platform has two sides, one on either side of said platform.
 8. A process for transporting a vehicle on a monorail system comprising the steps of: selecting a motorized wheeled rail car riding on a monorail and having a platform suspended therefrom on at least one cable, said motorized wheeled rail car having a lifting electric motor mounted therein coupled to a lifting reel supporting said at least one lifting cable, and said vehicle supporting platform being attached to said at least one lifting cable for raising and lowering said vehicle supporting platform responsive to operation of said lifting electric motor; lowering said platform with said lifting electric motor onto a generally flat surface; driving a motorized vehicle onto said lowered platform; raising said platform loaded with said motorized vehicle with said lifting electric motor; and moving said motorized wheeled rail car to transport said loaded vehicle on said monorail system; whereby a vehicle can be transported on a monorail system.
 9. The process for transporting a vehicle on a monorail system in accordance with claim 8 in which said selected motorized wheeled rail car has a wheel electric motor powering said wheeled rail car to drive said motorized wheeled rail car on said rail to transport said vehicle on said platform.
 10. The process for transporting a vehicle on a monorail system in accordance with claim 9 in which said selected motorized wheeled rail car vehicle supporting platform has a ramp on one end thereof for driving a vehicle onto said platform.
 11. The process for transporting a vehicle on a monorail system in accordance with claim 10 in which said selected motorized wheeled rail car vehicle supporting platform has a ramp on each end thereof for driving a vehicle onto and off of said platform. 